Hospitals are ”falling short” on providing proper care to dying people in their final days and hours, a new review has found.

There are ”significant” variations in care provided by hospitals across England, according to the National Care of the Dying Audit for Hospitals.

Around half of all deaths in England occur in hospital.

CAMERON PUSHES CASE FOR NO VOTE

David Cameron has invoked the memory of former Labour leader John Smith as he campaigns to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom.

The Tory Prime Minister hailed Mr Smith - who died 20 years ago - as a ”proud Scot” who wanted what was best for his country.

Crucially, he said the former Labour leader understood that ”wanting to be part of something bigger does not make you any less Scottish”.

GOVE AND LAWS DENY RIFT ON MEALS

Education Secretary Michael Gove and Lib Dem schools minister David Laws have presented a united front in relation to free school meals.

The introduction in September of free school meals for all infant-age children is a policy that has ”true cross-party support”, they said in a joint article in The Times.

The show of unity comes following reports of serious official concerns about the scheme within Whitehall.

SCHOOLS PRODUCING ’AMORAL CHILDREN’

Schools are turning out ”amoral” children because they are failing to teach them right from wrong, according to a leading headmaster.

Too much time in many state schools is spent on academic studies, leaving youngsters missing out on a rounded education, Richard Walden, chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) argued.

Speaking at the ISA’s annual conference in Warwickshire, Mr Walden is expected to warn that teachers working in state schools are being ”overwhelmed” by the pressure to get good results and this is distracting them from teaching pupils good values.

MILIBAND VOW ON ’CLOCK-WATCH CARE’

Ed Miliband pledged to ”call time on clock-watch care” by taking action to end the practice of visits lasting just 15 minutes or less.

He said Labour would work with cash-strapped councils to ensure longer slots were guaranteed and improve conditions for ”exploited” carers.

It is one of the recommendations of a study carried out for him by Labour peer Baroness Kingsmill into the impact of poor industry standards on users.

STEPHEN’S CHARITY TOTAL HITS £3.5M

Inspirational cancer charity fundraiser Stephen Sutton who died yesterday has now raised more than £3.5 million.

The death of the 19-year-old prompted countless tributes from political leaders, sports stars and celebrities who backed his campaign to help the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, died early yesterday, three days after being re-admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties caused by a regrowth of his tumours.

NIGERIA KIDNAP EXCHANGE ’RULED OUT’

The Nigerian government is ruling out an exchange of more than 200 abducted schoolgirls for detained Islamic militants, according to a British Foreign Office minister.

Mark Simmonds said Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has ”made it very clear that there will be no negotiation with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners”.

But Mr Simmonds, who is visiting Nigeria for talks, said after a meeting with President Jonathan that Nigeria’s government will talk to the militants on reconciliation.

HAGUE TO DISCUSS MINE TRAGEDY HELP

Britain will discuss what help it can provide to Turkey in dealing with the mining disaster which has killed more than 270 workers.

Foreign Secretary William Hague will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart in London today, where he is attending international talks on Syria.

The death toll has swelled to 274, and 150 workers are still trapped underground in what is the country’s worst such disaster.

’LEVEL PLAYING FIELD’ FOR IVF CALL

The health watchdog has called for an end to the postcode lottery of fertility treatments in England.

Last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) set out a list of treatments that should be available to those seeking help with conception on the NHS.

But it has emerged that many organisations are not providing all of these treatments - for instance it is recommended that infertile couples are offered three full cycles of IVF treatment, but figures have shown that many local health bodies are providing just one, or none at all.

WEEKEND SUNSHINE BONANZA FORECAST

This weekend could see Britons basking in the sun on the hottest day of the year so far.

Uninterrupted sunshine meant the mercury soared to 22C (71.6F) in Aviemore, Scotland, on April 28 marking a 2014 high - but it is expected to get hotter this weekend, according to a Met Office meteorologist.

Mark Wilson said: ”We are going to see a day by day increase in the temperatures. Through the course of today I think we could quite easily see 21C, possibly 22C, in the South East.